We still have Winter Olympics and Paralympics on the brain, so we decided to take a look ahead at Utah 2034 with Catherine Raney-Norman, Utah 2034’s vice president of development and athlete relations. Her role is all about bringing in the money and making sure the athletes have the best possible experience at the Games.
Catherine knows all about Olympic experiences. She’s competed at four consecutive Olympics, from Nagano 1998 through Vancouver 2010, in speed skating, and having been at Salt Lake City 2002, she understands first-hand how much the city and area’s citizens are part of the magic of a great Games.
It’s this community spirit that she’s tapping into with Podium 34, Utah 2034’s innovative funding program. Given that Utah 2034 can’t go after sponsorship deals until after LA28, it has created an innovative funding program called Podium 34. For the first time in Olympic history, private donors are stepping up to help fund the Games.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Catherine about the development of Podium 34 and how it’s changing the look of future Games funding. Plus, Catherine shares some hints about what we can look forward to in 2034.
Going to LA28? Be sure to put a stop to Santa Monica on your list. Even though the city won’t host any of the sports competition, its city council has approved negotiations to host Club France at the Annenberg Community Beach House, as well as a 10-structure Nations Village at Crescent Bay Park and portions of Lot 4 South. The Nations Village will be produced by Hochsitz, an Austrian company that has done Olympic setups since Sochi 2014. If you were at Milano Cortina 2028, they were responsible for House of Switzerland in Cortina and the Omega Pavilion in Milano.
Also, if your event tickets take you to the Coliseum or Galen Center at the University of Southern California (athletics, ceremonies, badminton and rhythmic gymnastics), you may want to build in some extra travel time because according to the Daily Trojan, the U.S. Secret Service will establish “stop and search” zones on certain parts of campus during Summer and Fall 2028. Anyone passing through these zones–and these zones have not yet been established–will be stopped and searched.
For those needing an Olympic fix earlier than 2028, head to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, this summer and take an Olympic Heritage tour. Conducted through the Tread of Pioneers Museum, Olympian Ben Berend will be your guide during this free one-hour tour. They’re happening weekly from June 2 to Sept. 9, and you can just drop in to take the tour. Let us know if you go and tell us about your experience!
Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!
Photo courtesy of Utah 2034.
TRANSCRIPT
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433-Utah 2034 Update with Catherine Raney-Norman
Theme Music
Jill Jaracz: Hello and welcome to another episode of Keep the Flame Alive, the podcast for fans of the Olympics and Paralympics.
If you love the games, we are the show for you. I am your host, Jill Jaracz, joined as always by my lovely co-host, Alison Brown. Alison, hello. How are you?
Alison Brown: You know, I think it’s colder today than it was at most of the days we were in Cortina.
Jill Jaracz: Funny how that works for a winter Paralympics.
Alison Brown: I don’t know what’s going on, man.
It’s supposed to be spring here, but I’m thinking of Winter Games, that’s for [00:01:00] sure.
Catherine Raney-Norman Interview
Jill Jaracz: That’s good because we are talking Winter Games today. We are talking with Catherine Raney Norman from Utah 2034. Catherine is a four-time Olympian. Co- uh, she competed in speed skating at the 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics.
After her retirement, she transitioned into development work and is now the vice president of development and athlete relations for Utah 2034. We talked with Catherine about obtaining funding for these games, especially since the US is also hosting in 2028, which makes things very complicated funding wise for Utah.
But Utah innovated, and they came up with a brand new funding plan called Podium 34, which we talk about in our conversation. Catherine goes into more detail about this program and what makes it special, and just a little programming note,
we recorded our conversation back on September 30, 2025, which is before the 2034 games changed its name from Salt Lake City 2034 to Utah 2034, so that’s why we’re not referring to [00:02:00] the updated name of these games in the interview. Take a listen.
The athlete perspective on the Games
Catherine Raney Norman, thank you so much for joining us as an athlete. ’cause you were an athlete and you competed in four Olympics. How aware of you about how they got funded when you were an athlete?
Catherine Raney Norman: I mean, I think it’s fair to say I had absolutely no clue as to how games were funded or any of that sort of stuff.
You know, I was focused, obviously on, it being an athlete and competing, and also quite frankly, like how do I fund myself to chase that dream? But not necessarily like the big world of the Olympic movement or any way, shape, or form. I think I always assumed it was, you know, the, the. Television commercials and the sponsorship that, that funded the games, but never really knew the, the nitty gritty behind it.
Jill Jaracz: Games and the Olympics have a reputation for like, there is a ton of money [00:03:00] behind there somewhere. Did you see a ton of money when, as you went from games to games and what you experienced?
Catherine Raney Norman: No, no. I mean, again, like as an athlete, I was just, you know, excited to be at the games and in the village and the venues and all of that sort of stuff.
And so you, you didn’t, like, you never saw a flashy, it wasn’t flashy, there was never a flashy experience. It was more about, coming together and being with other athletes and being around the other athletes, that really kind of made that experience.
Jill Jaracz: that’s interesting because that’s really the point of the games is to bring the world together.
Mm-hmm. And then you have these competitions too. But it’s interesting here from the, to hear the athlete perspective of that’s what’s more important versus the flashy, the look and the, the feel and, and a lot of spending on that stuff.
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah. And you know, I think also though sport has dramatically changed right?
[00:04:00] Since I competed. I, I retired, my last games was in 2010, so, you know, we’re talking 15 years ago and, and sport has changed. athlete marketing awareness opportunity has changed and we’re, we’re seeing that dramatic shift around NIL going forward. And, and I think there’s just a bigger, In today’s world, bigger awareness around how to sort of capitalize on, on the opportunity of the games.
I think social media drives a lot of it as well. I always joke, you know, at my first games it was, it was a OL like the you’re connected, right? Like, um. To finally, you know, to retiring and there was, Facebook was just starting at that point in time. Right? And so it’s really that interesting change in, in technology and in the ability for athletes to build the brand.
So at my. Tenure as a competitive athlete, right? I was in a different space than [00:05:00] where the athletes are now, and the awareness of the marketing and the sponsorship and the ability to capitalize on, on your performance, et cetera, or, or on your story. And so it’s just a bit different, now than it was back then.
But I still think that most, I would say most athletes, you know, obviously they wanna have a, an optimized experience. But it’s. It’s about that experience. It’s about ensuring that they have the best quality field of play, the best experience in the village. ’cause you know, these are, I, I tell so many people so often that sitting in the seat I sit in now, right?
Like, I’m very much so the steward of, of that 12-year-old who’s dreaming. Of competing in the games, right? And so making sure that they have the best experience possible is my top priority.
Alison Brown: I think it’s very interesting that the games that you competed in, you know, 98, 0 2, 0 6 [00:06:00] 10 have such different legacies and different reputations for how it went during the Olympics.
You know, you look at 2010 versus oh six, very different stories came out of tho those Olympics and, and how are you taking, what was your experience and then bringing it to the organizing committee.
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, I think what I am really looking for is, or what I’m trying to help lead forward with, is taking the culture of the community.
And, and, and infusing that into the athlete experience. That’s one of the things that I acutely remember were the cultures of the different places that I was in, right? the Japanese culture when I was there. And it was, very traditional and very, um, respectful. And, then you transition to 2002, right?
And, and you’ve got American pride like no other. You know, the Clydesdales going down State Street and, [00:07:00] um, and Italy, you know, I’ll never forget getting to see Andrea Botello perform Right, right. Listening to, to classical opera music during the games. Right. And so it’s, it’s really, I think about infusing that culture of the community into that experience to help shape that, Games time, you know, experience for the athletes and, and also it’s about, I think, evolving the games from what we did in oh two. I am a, a staunch believer we can’t do what we did in oh two. That’s a little bit of a disservice, not only to the athletes, but to our community. So how do we change the trajectory?
How do we bring Olympic and Paralympic sport to a higher level? And I think we’ll get there. I think we’ll get there with some of the fan experience so that, you know, the athletes walk away and, and say, there was nothing like that before in my career. Right. And I know I, I had that, I had that in, in some [00:08:00] of the games that I participated in and competed in where, I mean, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would compete in a stadium in the United States and have 7,000 fans.
It was incredible. Right. Absolutely amazing. And so, those are things that I’m, I’m looking forward to.
Funding Utah 2034 when you can’t yet get sponsors
Jill Jaracz: When you became chair of the Salt Lake City bid committee, what did you learn about Salt Lake City 2002 funding that wanted to maintain and or do differently?
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, you know, we were in a really different position back in oh two.
We had had the games awarded seven years in advance. We didn’t have, what we have this go around where Los Angeles has their games in advance of us. So we didn’t have any barrier to go into marketplace or anything like that. And so, you know, the 2002 games really, They took a very traditional path in terms of securing funds around sponsorship, ticketing, um, a little bit of hospitality in there, and then [00:09:00] obviously a, a small portion of philanthropic effort, but it took a much more traditional trajectory.
and I think what we’re seeing as we look forward to obviously 2034. we had to reinvent how we were going to raise revenue, especially, you know, understanding that Los Angeles was already in the marketplace and, and their need to be successful as well. but also looking at, again, as I talk about the games experience for the athletes have changed, the games experience for sponsors, for, donors has changed as well, right?
It’s much more. immersive. It’s much more value proposition driven than you’ve seen in the past, right? You will, you will see key sponsors who, who wanna come to the table and best understand what your values are and how do we work together in a partnership. and that’s just the changing landscape of, the marketing world that’s happening.
Alison Brown: It is so funny to hear you talk because we’ve spoken, multiple times to Terrence Burns [00:10:00] who is so big in the Olympic marketing world. Mm-hmm. And his mantra is what’s the value proposition of the Olympics? So I feel like he got in your head in that, in that good way.
Catherine Raney Norman: I guess inadvertently he is, he is a friend.
We have not talked on this topic before, but he is a friend but I think it’s, I think it’s. Across the board and, and I, I kind of share, I I do believe that the sponsorship space and the philanthropic space are, are very similar. Right. philanthropists are looking for impact. Um, they’re looking for how their dollars can uplift a community.
I think you’re seeing that in the sponsorship space as well. Those same kind of value driven decisions are being made. How do they align with their corporate values? How do they align with their employee values? that you see a lot of similarities between the two spaces, quite honestly.
Jill Jaracz: When did that shift start to happen?
Because you’ve been in [00:11:00] development a long time as well. In other, capacities, but it’s it’s not really, Hey, give us money. We’ll slap your name on something or give you an ad. But yeah, there’s a lot more work and thought that goes into it Now, when did that change and how does it improve the experience of the event overall to have.
People, are they more invested then?
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, I think, you know, when we look at the philanthropic side of things and, and we look forward to 2034 and you take a step back and go, okay, these games are, look at, we’re unique and we’re we’re unique compared to other host cities, uh, because we have all of our venues in place.
Right. We have a lot of knowledge here in the state and, and you know, nationwide as to how to put on games and successful games. And so for us, from day one, I think when I was put in place as the bid chair was all about [00:12:00] how do we impact and uplift our communities and our stakeholders. And, it would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t do that, quite frankly.
And so, and I think a lot of the individuals who, who have stepped up and raised their hands, they see that opportunity. Because they saw the impact of 2002 and what it had on our community, how it uplifted literally uplifted some of our neighborhoods by having venues there. how it literally changed some of the lives of people who were volunteering, of young kids that got to be a part of it.
we saw a dramatic positive ripple effect, not only economically. But culturally here in Utah. And so, you know, when the games were awarded to us, again, I think everybody, myself included, genuinely believed that this is really an opportunity to continue to uplift Utah. to show others how [00:13:00] we give back, how we serve, and to put on a games that honors, honors the athletes.
The role of athletes in organizing LA28 and Utah 2034
Alison Brown: What are those conversations like with LA 28? You know, how much, I mean obviously U-S-O-P-C is involved, but just the direct, direct organizing committee discussions.
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah. You know, I work really closely with, um, what I would say is my counterpart over at LA 28 with Janet Evans, and we really spend a lot of time talking about, You know the role of the athlete in the organizing committee, the role of the athlete voice in the organizing committee. How do we provide opportunities to athletes who are currently competing, but also those who have retired, and how do we honor the athletes that kind of came before us that are gonna be there in la?
And so. honestly, I’m, I’m really grateful to Janet, to her leadership, to her friendship and helping and, and to her understanding, where the two of us [00:14:00] kinda see. See the athlete perspective and, and the importance of the athlete and their role in this and, and how we do right by them.
that has really been something that we have focused on Janet and myself. And then, you know, a little bit, taking a step further back is, and I think this is a lot of things that is, are being driven by, Gene sys the chair of the US Olympic and Paralympic committee, is how do we take this opportunity between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City?
It really is. A golden age of sport, how do we elevate the movement wholistically across the country? and we’re still figuring that out. Right. And we’re, we’re still working with U-S-O-P-C on that. We’re working on LA with that. But that’s a really important piece, is what does that continuous thread between the two entities look like and how does that broaden the movement holistically as well?
Because, we want. engaged fans, proud Americans, young athletes post 2034 as [00:15:00] well. so this, this time period is I think, really critical and, and almost kind of fragile in terms of how we, how we execute this.
Alison Brown: This is a tricky question, but I wanna ask it anyway. Mm-hmm. I mean, talk about a fabulous room for athletes where Janet Evans and Catherine Rainey are taking care of you, but do you think it matters or how it matters that it’s two women athletes looking at this?
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, I do. Um, I am, I, I really proud of, our collective leadership and, for it to come from two athletes who have really. Okay. We’ve, we’ve both invested basically our entire lives in this movement, for the betterment of athletes. and it’s funny you, I shouldn’t say funny, but you, you look at Paris 2024, and that was the first time there was gender equity in sport.
that’s kind of, I mean, eye opening, [00:16:00] right? So to have, to have her as, as, honestly, I, I. I consider her a partner in a, a co-leader in this space. I’m really grateful for it and I, I really hope that we can serve and, I, sometimes I, I feel the weight and obligation of how do we. Be role models to the next generation of young female athletes that are coming up that wanna be leaders in sport.
it’s still a challenging space for females, sport administration. It’s, it’s, it’s definitely, you know, there’s still a glass ceiling that we’re trying to break through, uh, every day. And so to have her, part of this. Journey alongside to, to serve as a resource, a sounding board, and a mentor.
I, I’m just really grateful for it and I’m, you know, I’m grateful. I always am. I think it’s important to, to recognize and, and learn from, from the other female leaders that have come before us. Right. you know, we, [00:17:00] we just had Anita to France here in Utah for, for the Olympic assembly. Talk about an OG right there.
she’s an og. Uh, Donna De Verona was here in town as well. And, to consider those women as, as friends and as role models and, to kind of sit back and see or, or you realize the hurdles they overcame, right? keeps your engine going at times for sure.
Utah: Ready for any Games
Jill Jaracz: we heard a lot from Sarah Sland, from the U-S-O-P-C and in media calls where she would say, you know, salt Lake City is ready. We’re ready for 2030, or 2030 for whatever the IOC needs. What was the response? Planning wise, funding wise, when you got 20, 34?
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, I, you know, I think we were, look, it, we’re, we’re grateful no matter what games we get, 20, 30, or 34.
Right. and I think it’s, [00:18:00] I, I go back to sort of my sports side of things and Right. We were, we were gonna show up on the line, on the start line for either one and be in the race for either one. And we’re grateful for either one that we have and The ability for 2034 around the economic side is, is obviously, you know, we, we can get through Los Angeles, we can help to, to work on either renewals or, or build off hopefully the momentum and success that they have in 28 for our games.
And so, so that’s a real, positive. For us around 2034. But, you know, if, if we had been awarded 2030, I mean, trust me, we still would be celebrating and jumping up and down in the streets and figuring out how we were gonna make this work. financially, and, and again, the fact that we have our venues in place.
Is a huge, relief for us, in terms of being able to execute and deploy timely and, and so, so yeah, no matter what we were gonna jump up for [00:19:00] Joy 2030 or 34, we, we were gonna be there.
Alison Brown: Well, I did get to stop into the party in Paris. Yay. In the restaurant, and Oh God, everybody was very, very excited.
Yeah. It was a fun room to be in.
Catherine Raney Norman: Oh, it was fantastic. Right? It was, it was really great and it, and to have that many people from our community come over. But you know what, I, I was so, Grateful for was we, you know, our, our presentation was at like nine or 9:30 AM in Paris, which was like 2:30 AM here in Salt Lake City.
And, uh, we had gone out and we were like, okay, we’re gonna have a watch party. And I said, oh, let’s make it a pajama party. Right? and I, I’ll never forget, like we, we kind of got there, we sat down on the front row and I was sitting next to the governor and. We were like, did anybody show up? Because we were supposed to, we were gonna do a live shot back, right?
And we’re like, oh man, anybody [00:20:00] show up? And sure enough that, you know, the governor pulled out his phone and he’s like, he started showing pictures. And he’s like, they’re there. Utahans are there. Right? Like, they showed up for us. And, and that was. Magical, quite honestly, to have that many people of our community come out at two 30 in the morning and be, you know, so excited.
that, that’s really incredible.
Utah 2034 develops a Games funding innovation
Alison Brown: That’s kind of a perfect segue because when we first mentioned Podium 34 in the show, I said philanthropy and showing up is so part of the Utah culture. So let’s, let’s just talk a little bit about what it is, how it works, and how this does tie into what, Salt Lake and Utah is all about.
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, so, podium 34 is the official donor program of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic games. And, we knew early on, still in the bid phase that obviously with Los [00:21:00] Angeles, in the marketplace and wanting to ensure that they were successful. The only way that we could raise revenue and stand up the organizing committee and, and start on on so many key elements was.
Was to raise philanthropic dollars, and Utah is the most generous state in the nation, in many different ways, whether it’s financially or through service or, or their talents. And so, we got to work and, podium was, was pretty quiet. For a while there, a lot of folks did not know about Podium 34.
And, and we started having conversations with many of our community leaders and, and, and champions as I I call them. And, and a lot of them, you know, had supported back in oh two. And, and again they recognized the kind of catalytic and transformational moment that we have here with our community. And I think Utah is really unique, And the desire of these community leaders to make it a better place and the desire of [00:22:00] these community leaders to provide opportunity to all and, and I might, I am continually inspired by them and for me it was such a joy. To be able to sit down with them across the table, talk to them about what the games means for us in 2034, what we’re hoping to accomplish from an impact side of things, early community impact, living legacy efforts, not post games as, you know, post games as well, but, but definitely living legacy efforts And to have them raise their hands up and say, we wanna be a part of this. Right. And it’s so interesting in that one of our, captains, our team captains is, is the Miller family. And, and Gail is one of the most generous people you will meet ever. she’s just wonderful. Right. And, I’ve, I’ve heard her say she, she wonders if she’s ever, if, has she done enough?
Right. to have that [00:23:00] mentality and foresight and, care is unreal. And so we are tremendously grateful, obviously, to the Miller family, but to all the families, all of the families who have raised their hands and said, we believe in this. We believe in the power of the Olympics. We believe that it will bring people together, that we will have impact on our community.
That we will create an environment and, and games experience that far exceeds anything, any athlete, any family, any stakeholder could possibly have. And you know, that they, they believe that this, this will continue to uplift our communities. And I think we all feel, again, this is an opportunity for us.
As individuals, not only in Utah, but hopefully across the country to be changed for, for good, for better. Right.
Alison Brown: When did those conversations [00:24:00] start?
Catherine Raney Norman: Oh man. They started, um, back in 2023.
Alison Brown: Mm-hmm.
Catherine Raney Norman: So, so
Alison Brown: this was a, a year plus. Yeah. To even get each, each family and, and, and donor on board.
Catherine Raney Norman: You know, in, in all honesty, it was, um, for a long time it was, it was myself and, and another individual that was helping me as a volunteer, to line everything up and to get everything and, and look at most of them were.
An immediate yes, which is very outside of the norm when you look at like philanthropy and giving standards and statistics. ’cause you know, this is my profession, so I was like, oh, this could take us a while. Um. And, and, you know, people raise their hands right away. so we almost had to catch up a little bit to them saying yes.
Like, oh, okay, they’ve already said yes. Um, so we had to sort of catch up [00:25:00] on the backend of things. And again, just being a one, you know, a, a 1.5 and now a a 2.5 operation. You know, we were doing juggling a lot on top of, finalizing a bid to the IOC as well. so yeah, it was really remarkable and, and you know, we were just so grateful to, be able to announce them on the 8th of September and, and had a really beautiful video showcasing their thoughts and their, Hopes and their aspirations around the games. and it was, you know, we had a moment in, in July where we were starting to, to film and like, I kind of, I got emotional on the first day ’cause I was like, okay, we’re finally here. We’re finally at this moment where we can tell their stories. Right? Like I just said, this is what I’ve been waiting for, is to be able to tell their stories.
And so, it was a sprint to the finish of course. and. You know, we’re, we’re not done. We’re still, we’re not done yet. We’re still [00:26:00] out, out raising support. But I think what is really, again, unique and special with this group is, is how can we invite more people in and more people to the podium? Right.
and that mentality of abundance and how can we ensure that these games are, are successful and embraced by, by people all over our state and and nation.
Alison Brown: This style of philanthropy is very American. Mm-hmm. In that, you know, all this private donations are not something you see in in a lot of other countries.
So what has been the response to podium 34 from kind of the wider Olympic and Paralympic family?
Catherine Raney Norman: I think they’re, um, one, they are all like blown away by the success. Like it’s unimaginable, for them in, and, you know, and everybody is, is sending in their congratulations and, and some are even calling [00:27:00] and asking like, how did you do this?
Right? and you know, I think it’s two things. One, it, it sends a message of how. Important. Private philanthropic support is here to support in the United States. it is really a backbone, with not, you know, we do not get government funding. We don’t have a ministry of sport. and so I think that is it again, showcases as we, we use the lingo in, in the movement.
The team behind the team. Right. Well, it’s really built on the generosity of, of Americans, um, here in the United States. I think a second piece that’s really hopefully, not, uh, an eyeopener, but, but also, curiosity, I think, uh, amongst people internationally is these are new ways, to innovate and fund games.
no one has come out of the gate from an organizing committee standpoint and raised this type of [00:28:00] support this early on at this level and these magnitudes, and so I, I kind of hope and, and. And I think it’s important for, OGs and games to continually think about how do we revisit the business model?
How do we reinvent ourselves? And I am hoping that this is, this is one way that, that others might be able to learn from or, or, or explore or try quite honestly.
Jill Jaracz: Yeah. Well, Alison was very diplomatic in how she phrased that question, but when we saw the, the podium 34 release, the two of us went. What’s the big deal?
It’s like business as usual in the United States. And then as we thought about, we’re like, oh wait, other countries in the world don’t do this philanthropic push. Or if they do, it hasn’t been around for very long. It’s still, it’s still very new in in Europe and many other regions. And then you’re like, oh yeah, well this is just gonna change the way games are funded [00:29:00] going forward.
And it’s really interesting.
Catherine Raney Norman: I, you know, I, I hope it opens up new opportunities and new revenue streams for future hosts. Right? I, I, I really do actually. I hope, I hope that it does, because, you know, so often you read about hosts and, and you know, there’s cost overruns or they’ve revisited the budget or any of that sort of stuff, but, but not only how it funds the games, but also how it engages people.
Right. this is, look at it. They aren’t small numbers and, but these individuals are deeply engaged in the success of the games and the impact of the games. And they are, they are our team, right? And they are, cheering us on every step of the way. they are leaders within our community who are out there helping to share the message of the games as to why this is a benefit and an opportunity, And [00:30:00] that’s really important, right. Across all hosts, regardless if it’s in the United States or, or someplace else. Right. And, and I think that’s, that’s a piece to it is, is it’s not only on the revenue side of things, but on the engagement side and that community support side and how important that is.
Alison Brown: What are donors expecting and what else besides money are you expecting from them?
Catherine Raney Norman: You know, I, I think our donors are, they’re, again, they’re, they’re looking for, for an opportunity to be involved and to be a part of things and, and to be a part of the journey. Uh, you know, we, we invited some of our donors to come and join us at the US Olympic and Paralympic Assembly.
and that was wonderful for them to learn more about the movement and, and be, be a part of things. And, you know, I think what, what I’m hoping to kind of get from them is one. Being a sounding board, [00:31:00] quite honestly, you know, these are individuals that invest in areas all across our community, right?
And, I love seeing where the synergies happen between where they are investing and how we as an organizing committee could potentially partner with another NGO. could we bring athletes to a different event and, and kind of just. Honestly kind of spread, spread the love of the movement. and I, I’m really grateful for that, that side of things.
And, and, you know, they invest in small businesses and the games are so big, and so they, they’re just so big and they, they move really quickly. And sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Right. and I love that our donors can help us in that space. I, I’ll, I’ll share another example of, we obviously, we, we had a, you know, large delegation that [00:32:00] went to Paris and so we did an event before we went to Paris, kind of debrief everybody, here’s the schedule, here’s what you need to wear, all of those sort of things, right?
But we did it at another nonprofit here in town. We did it at at Spy Hop, which is a, a film, an art kind of nonprofit here in town. And, um, it allowed us to tell the story of Spy Hop by being there. Right. and the impact that Spy Hop has had on the community. and that was because one of our donors was able to be like, Hey, did you go check out this venue?
Right. those connective moments I think are really important because these are individuals who invest in every. Need that our community has all of the different social determinants that we, that we face, right? And again. Part of our goal is to uplift our communities. Well, having individuals like this be the sounding [00:33:00] board to tell us like, Hey, did you go check out the other side academy?
They’re, they’re building, a hotel, right? Are they part of your hotel block? Right. We wouldn’t have known if we hadn’t had heard that from, and, and now we can bring them in and those are the things that I get, I get excited about, right? That, that there are ways for us to, to work with other. groups within the community that they can just help shed the light on because I, I would never want somebody to feel like they couldn’t be a part of this or to feel like they were left out.
And, you know, again, it, it’s such a big operation that, that sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know. And I’m grateful for our donors to share that with us.
How Podium 34 supports the Utah 2034 Organizing Committee
Jill Jaracz: The podium, 34 money is coming out slowly. Over the next 10 years, it’s being kind of meted out. So how is it being used in the different stages of games planning?
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, no, happy to share. So, obviously the first kinda tranch is, [00:34:00] is helping to stand up the organizing committee, which is a very robust eight employees right now.
Um, so I’ll say, and we have an office, which is, a significant upgrade from the community center that I worked out of for the last four years. Mill Creek Library. Love you. Thank you so much. Okay. but greatly appreciate it. I just wanna
Alison Brown: quick interrupt you. So right now you’ve got eight employees in 2034.
What are you projected to have?
Catherine Raney Norman: I think we’re gonna have like 1500. Employees or something like that. I think that’s what it ends up being. you know, so it just scales dramatically. So early dollars are, are focused around a couple of things. One, obviously being able to just stand up the organizing committee, get people working, get things moving forward.
two early community impact initiatives. And, last, last week, I’m, and I’m really happy about [00:35:00] this was sort of our first. Step into the water and into the pond in, in having impact within the community where, um, again, we partnered with another, nonprofit organization Show Up, which is the, the First Ladies initiative.
And during the Olympic and Paralympic assembly, we, we packed 5,000 afterschool snack kits for the gran. Education Foundation and, granite School District, it’s one of our largest here in Utah, but also one of our most underserved. And so it was really, I think a great kind of first step into this space and being able to, to one, show people from across the Olympic and Paralympic movement.
We had like 400 people here in town. What we do here in Utah and how we lead forward with service. And two, to sort of share that love within our community and start to, to push the, the values of the Olympic and Paralympics in a very small way. Right. each of the kids got a, or they’re, they’re getting a notebook with, [00:36:00] with, the, the logo on it, the whole thing.
Right. But it’s a very small first step. But the, that first step is, I think just the step of one of many of how do we impact our communities early on, especially with an emphasis on, I would say, on, on youth. and I think again, we’re, we’re in this incredible position where, where you think about the, 8-year-old or the 12-year-old and where they’re gonna be in eight and a half years.
Right where they could be an athlete, they could be a volunteer, they could be an intern for us. these early dollars are allowing us to start in that space, in those spaces. And so early community impact around youth service and. Are where we’re gonna start to lead forward, especially I would say between now and 20 29, 20 30.
we’ll continue to ramp up those efforts, especially, um, I hope they grow as we get more and more staff. Um, and, uh, you know, those, those are where we’re for sure early dollars are gonna head. and then [00:37:00] obviously in 29 things sort of. Do a big flip and we go into the commercial market space. 31 and 32 is really targeted around kind of readiness.
And 33, 34 is around execution. And so you’ll see some different phases, but, again, that that’s. That’s part of the beauty of podium, of allowing us to have the financial support and resources to start to lay the groundwork on early community impact and to start creating those opportunities. During the Olympic and Paralympic assembly, we brought a children’s choir up, um, from Utah County to come up and, and sing and I got the best note back from them and I’m gonna cheat and just sort of read and it says I wanted to reach out and thank you for the opportunity for our youth to.
Participate in the Assembly Town Hall on Friday. I’ve been hearing from parents and students all weekend about this once in a lifetime experience and how much it meant to each of them. It was such a special experience for me as an [00:38:00] educator and performer to conduct the small choir and to participate in that day.
So grateful for the connection to the Ruth that allows for such incredible network of incredible people and opportunities. Right,
Alison Brown: and the Olympics is nothing without a children’s choir.
Catherine Raney Norman: They were so, they were so wonderful. But, you know, we had them, they were waiting. And, I brought in one of the, one of my fellow athletes, uh, an athlete from Bob Sled by the name of Chris Kenny, who’s also a senior as well.
And so he came in and he spoke to the kids about what it means to sing the national anthem, especially to an athlete, right? One of the most important songs you’ll hear as an athlete when you stand on the podium or the dream of singing that song as you stand on the podium. So that’s what podium 34 lets us do, right?
Those simple little nuggets that I’m kind of sharing and, and, and as we’re trying to sort of dip our toe in the pond, right? how do we do [00:39:00] good work in the lead up to during and after these games?
Jill Jaracz: Are you hoping that more donors come on to the podium?
Catherine Raney Norman: I do, I I do hope more. Come on. I, I do. You know, we, we, we’re still chasing our, our goal, but I just want more people to fall in love with this movement.
Like I fall, have fallen in love with it, and, and that they will continue after, after the lifespan of the organizing committee, that they will continue to, to support. The Olympic and Paralympic movement as a whole, whether that’s here in Utah or it’s nationally, But our, our movement, our athletes, our kids, they need this.
I think our country needs this right now more than anything. And, uh, so yes, I, I want more people to come to the podium. I want them to stay on the podium after 2034 and, and continue to, to be a part of [00:40:00] this.
Podium 34’s goals
Jill Jaracz: what is the overall goal for the program?
Catherine Raney Norman: Yeah, so we, we’ve set a, I would say a, a floor goal.
A floor goal of 300 million. and we’re, we’re getting closer to that number, which is great. And we’ll, we’ll see what happens if, if we surpass that and, and continue to, raise beyond 300. And maybe it should be 340, I don’t know. Um, yes, yes. Maybe, maybe we should change. It should go right to 340. but, uh, but we, you know, we, we have a floor goal.
And, and again, if, if then more people that wanna come and be a part of this, we will always welcome them, to the podium.
Jill Jaracz: Excellent. Catherine Raney. Norman, thank you so much for talking with us about funding and, and how it’s gonna change and being a part of the initial. Spark that is igniting that fuel. So thank you so much.
Catherine Raney Norman: Of course. [00:41:00] Thank you guys. I hope to stay in touch on the journey.
Jill Jaracz: you so much, Catherine. You can find out more about Utah 2034 at Utah2034.org, and the Podium 34 program is Utah2034.org/podium34.
LA 2028 News
Still two years away, and yet we have so much LA news. Well, that’s good. It’s, it’s interesting. And, and I think we get– we’re able to find more LA news because we understand the government systems, and we know what to look for, so we’ll- And we
Alison Brown: speak English.
Jill Jaracz: And we speak English, so that helps. Big news on the hospitality house front.
Club France and Nations Village heading to Santa Monica
So, uh, Santa Monica, as you might recall, did not want to host any LA 2028 sporting events, but there will still be games time fun within the city limits. The Santa Monica Daily Press and the Sports Exa-Examiner report that its city council unanimously voted to negotiate for licensing agreements that include hosting a nation’s [00:42:00] village at Crescent, at Crescent Bay Park and portions of Lot 4 South.
Current plans are for this village to be in existence for 103 days. The village will include a satellite broadcast center, country hospitality houses, and public engagement zones. Uh, the village will be, produced by Hochsitze, an Austrian company that has done Olympic setups since Sochi 2014. So at Milan, at Milano 2026, they built some broadcast studios and the Cortina House of Switzerland and the Omega Pavilion in Milano.
So if you were there or you have seen pictures, that’s kind of the style that you’re looking at. At Paris, they built the P&G Pavilion at Mu-Musee Rodin and the Paris Omega House. And that Cortina House of Switzerland
Alison Brown: had quite a reputation
Jill Jaracz: for being- Oh, it did, and it was beautiful …
Alison Brown: yeah, for being beautiful and a lot of fun.
So that speaks well to what this company’s gonna come up with.
Jill Jaracz: Yes. [00:43:00] So the plan that got submitted to the Santa Monica City Council calls for 10 structures in the area that they’ve designated. Some of them will be multi-story, and they range in size from 100 square meters to 750 square meters. The public will have full access.
if you were in Milano, the setup looks a little bit like it could be the fan zone and sponsor pavilions around, uh, Cairoli and the castle area. So there was that fan zone, and Coke Peak was right across from it kind of thing. Uh, this is kind of, it, it looks like that, ’cause the fan zone had all those little tiny tents and things.
Santa Monica is set to make 1.15 million from licensing fees, and as part of the legacy initiatives, the park’s historic pergola, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will be refurbished. So this project will be in addition to Club France, which will be at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, that will be open for 35 days, and, Santa Monica [00:44:00] will make 1.55 million plus reimbursement of city services for that deal.
Alison Brown: Well, anytime they can put together these fan zones a-away from competition is actually great because people who can’t get to competitions, who can’t afford the tickets, who it’s, uh, they don’t wanna get into that, that melee of, of some of those venues, this is a great opportunity to share the Olympics and the Paralympics it sounds like- Yeah
since it’s gonna be up for so many days, with other fans.
Jill Jaracz: Yeah. So this is gonna be nice, and it, it spreads out the Olympic traffic a little bit to say… I mean, yeah, it’s really cool to have Olympic zones, but it does bring more of the region into the excitement of what’s going on. Because when we were in Milano, the venues were all at the end of train lines, so you really only got that excitement if you were on the train or at at the venue, or there was a little bit down by the, Duomo because there were some [00:45:00] activation installations there, and by the castle where there were other things going on.
But, y-you know, I think most of the city really did not feel super Olympic.
Alison Brown: Yeah. Agreed. Cortina definitely had more of that feel just because it was a smaller, more condensed area, and I’m sure during the Olympics, we didn’t get to see Cortina during the Olympics when more venues there were in place and more houses were open.
That just must have been an absolute buzz of activity because you’ve concentrated those places, so you can just walk from one thing to the next and have a whole day of adventures without even going to an, uh, an event.
Prepare for stop-and-search zones
Jill Jaracz: Yeah. Definitely. So this will be exciting. Uh, not so exciting is the U-University of Southern California, USC, the, their publication, The Daily Trojan, reports that the US Secret Service will establish stop-and-search zones on certain parts of the campus during summer and fall 2028.
Anyone passing through these zones [00:46:00] will be stopped and searched. Those zones have not yet been established. So USC will be home to The Coliseum, which will host athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies, and also the Galen Center, where badminton and rhythmic gymnastics takes, takes place. And University Park Campus is hosting the press and media center.
it’s unknown really how this will work, especially when they haven’t been determined. I mean, it kinda sounds like if you wanna cut through campus, you might get stopped. So-
Alison Brown: Yeah. It’s, it probably hasn’t been determined because they haven’t quite laid out all the walking paths through campus as to, okay, if you’re going to The Coliseum, where can you walk, and where would you have access?
We ran into this a little bit in Paris when we were going to the closing ceremony. Several blocks away from the venue, they had a stop-and-search spot Because everybody walking past that point was gonna have access to the area [00:47:00] around the stadium. So I guess they’ll come up with these zones based on how they set up walking, paths.
Jill Jaracz: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, that will be something to keep in mind if you are gonna go to these events, that you may have to build in extra time for, uh, traveling and getting through, search zones. it’s also unknown that, whether the school will hold a summer semester in 2028, which if they do- Yeah, don’t do that
it adds another layer. It does add another layer of complication. Don’t do that. If they do, it adds another layer of complication. They do know right now that there’s gonna be less parking on campus.
Alison Brown: Oh, yeah. Goodness gracious. There’s gonna be no parking on campus.
Olympic and Paralympic Travel News
Jill Jaracz: Uh, in Olympic and Paralympic travel news, because I…
And I’ll get a sound for this at some point. Uh, the Tread of Pioneers Museum in Steamboat Springs is having weekly Olympic heritage tours all summer long from June 2 through September 9th. They’re hosted by, uh, Olympian [00:48:00] Ben Berend, who competed in Nordic combined at Pyeongchang 2018. Event is 9:00 to 10:00 AM.
It’s free, and you’ll get half price admission to the museum, too. No reservations needed, just drop in. But they do appreciate donations, so we will have a link in the show notes to this. Which is kinda cool that all summer long it- And, and of course they start
Alison Brown: this after I did two trips to Denver. When I could’ve gotten myself up there with my little rental car.
Jill Jaracz: And
Alison Brown: I’m not getting in a- another… Between… So I figured out I did something like eight flights in seven weeks.
Jill Jaracz: Wow. Oh, boy.
Alison Brown: And I don’t know how people do that, like, for regular life, how they do that kind of flying all the time. I’m, like, swearing off airplanes, I think, until LA.
Jill Jaracz: Which you might have to because of the cost of fuel.
Alison Brown: Well, that’s true, too.
TKFLASTAN News
Welcome to Shookfistan.
Jill Jaracz: It is the time of the show where we check in with [00:49:00] our team Keep the Flame Alive. These are past guests and listeners of the show who make up the citizenship of our very own country of Shookfistan. first up, we’ve got some sports results and upcoming events.
Alison Brown: So at the FIE Foil World Cup in Cairo, Lee Kiefer placed ninth, Lauren Scruggs placed 33rd, and the women’s team, which included them both, won the bronze.
On the men’s side, Nick Itkin tied for third, Alexander Massialas placed fifth, Gerek Meinhardt placed 20th, and Miles Chamley-Watson placed 28th, and the men’s team also won the bronze.
Jill Jaracz: the Boston Marathon was this past week, and Daniel Romanchuk placed second in the wheelchair division. He finished over six minutes behind Marcel Hug.
The silver bullet. Daniel said he lost a glove on a big downhill in the first five K, so he had to wait for traffic to clear before going to, back to get it. However, he is thrilled with his finish because if you remember, he had some sh-shoulder issues, and it’s been rehabbed and it’s holding [00:50:00] strong right now.
So good for him.
Alison Brown: Excellent. Paddler Nevin Harrison won the women’s C1 200 meters at the ACA Sprint National Team Trials.
Jill Jaracz: in the first Para-Cycling World Cup event of the season in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Samantha Bosco placed first, and Grace Norman placed second in the individual time trial cycle four.
Samantha also placed first in the individual road race, which Grace did not finish. Dennis Connors finished second in both the individual time trial and, and road race in the tricycle two category, and the tour moves to Belgium at the end of April.
Alison Brown: Well, I’m glad to see Dennis Connors competing ’cause he was kicking around retiring after some disappointing finishes last season.
Yeah. So he has changed his mind and kept going, which is great. Uh, Greco-Roman wrestler Alejandro Sancho is the top seed at the seventy-two kilogram class at the twenty twenty-six US Open Championship for, uh, April twenty-second to the twenty-sixth in Las Vegas. This event will serve as the world team trials and establish the [00:51:00] twenty twenty-six Greco-Roman senior world team.
Jill Jaracz: In accolades news, Jaden Blackwell has earned a multi-year partnership with Allianz Partners.
Alison Brown: Pole vaulter Katie Moon was honored with resolutions in the Ohio State House and Senate recognizing her gold medal at the twenty twenty-five World Athletics Championships.
Jill Jaracz: Cross-country skier Kikkan Randall has been inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.
Alison Brown: And more Grace Norman news. Para triathlete Grace Norman received the New York Athletic Club Athlete of the Year award.
Jill Jaracz: and para ice hockey player Monica Quimby, it– who is having an amazing year. She is
Alison Brown: just killing it all year long. My goodness, Monica.
Jill Jaracz: She was named a winner for the Tampa Bay Business and Wealth Women Who Win Awards twenty twenty-six.
Alison Brown: And my favorite kind of news, paddler Lisa Carrington is pregnant with her first child. She plans to race in World Cups in May with baby, and then taking maternity leave for her September due date. She intends to continue racing in hopes of [00:52:00] qualifying for LA ’28, but one step at a time.
She’s gotta get through the baby delivery first, and then she’ll get back to training. So congratulations to Lisa. That’s really exciting.
Jill Jaracz: Yes. Yes. And that will do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening.
Alison Brown: And until next time, keep the flame alive.